Jax and Cori grew up together. They, along with Opie, were best friends growing up, but Cori always saw Jax differently. She watched him go through several relationships, all of them ending badly, as she sat back and waited for him to notice her. So...
Cori slowly woke to the sound of someone walking around the bedroom. She lifted her head to see Jax laying his kutte in the chair and kicking off his white sneakers.
"Jax? What time is it?"
Jax sighed before coming over to sit on the side of the bed, reaching out to brush a strand of hair out of her face. "A little after one a.m. I didn't mean to wake you, babe. Go back to sleep."
Cori yawned and sat up, leaning in to give him a kiss. "How did you get in? Have you eaten anything? There are leftovers in the fridge."
Jax grinned and nodded. "Sara let me in, and yeah, I ate hours ago." He sighed, letting his head rest on her shoulder. "It's been a long day. I'm sorry I didn't get home for dinner."
Cori ran a hand through his hair. "It's ok." She tugged on his hair to get him to look up at her. "If you've eaten, then come to bed. It's late and I want to go back to sleep."
He chuckled quietly and nodded as he stood up to finish undressing. "Yes, ma'am."
Jax's eye fluttered open when he felt the bed move. He looked over to see Cori walking around the bed toward the door. "What time is it, babe? Where ya going?"
Cori turned to give him a soft smile. "It's around seven and I'm going to go check on dad then start some coffee. You probably have more time to sleep. At least your phone hasn't rung yet."
Jax sighed and sat up on the side of the bed, dragging a hand through his hair. "Nah, I'm gonna jump in the shower then head over to the hospital. If everything checks out, Abel gets to come home today."
Cori nodded, her smile getting brighter. "That's great, Jax!"
He nodded as he stood up and walked over to her, pulling her into his arms for a hug. "Yeah, it is. Mom's throwing him a welcome home party tonight. I want you to come."
Cori stretched up to give him a kiss before nodding. "I'll see how dad is. If he's doing alright later, I'll come by for a bit."
Jax grinned and stole another kiss before turning her loose. "Sounds good. Since Sara stays here, maybe you could even spend the night with me and little man. I'll warn you though, Tara might be there. I invited her a while back, but she may not come because of how things are now."
Cori nodded in understanding. "Or she'll come to prove a point."
Jax nodded. "Yep."
Cori grinned as she opened the bedroom door. "We're all adults, Jax. I'm sure it will be fine."
Jax winked at her as they parted ways in the hall. "Let's hope so, darlin."
Later that evening, Cori let herself into Jax's house, the party already well underway. She could hear laughing and music from the porch, and it only got louder as she walked inside. Cori smiled as she watched the Sons celebrating Jax's son. Currently, Chibs was holding the small boy wrapped in his blankets, smiling as if he was the proud daddy. She grinned at the sight before letting her eyes travel over the room full of leather.
When she spotted Jax, her grin quickly turned to a frown when she saw Tara beside him. They were laughing about something before Tara leaned up and kissed him on the lips, causing him to gaze down at her. Cori felt her heart contract for a moment before an arm wrapped around her shoulders. She looked to see Gemma standing beside her, frowning at the couple across the room.
"You need to go over there and shut that shit down now, Cori."
Cori shook her head. "Nah, he's a grown man, Gem. He knows what's right and what isn't. It's not my job to tell him or her how to act."
Gemma snorted and shook her head. "Have you met Abel's mom?"
Cori nodded. "Wendy Case, right?" When Gemma nodded, she shrugged. "We went to school together, remember? I know her." She pointed toward the patio doors that were partly open to cool down the room. "I'm gonna get some air. It's stuffy in here."
Gemma nodded. "Alright, but hurry up. Jax is gonna want to introduce you to Abel."
Cori nodded and slid out the door before being noticed by many besides Piney, who stopped her for a hug before she could get away. When she finally made it outside, she sat down on the steps leading to the backyard and took a deep breath. After a few minutes, she heard the patio door slide shut then someone clearing their throat. She looked around and sighed when she saw Tara standing there.
"Jax wasn't sure if you would make it or not. How's your father?"
Cori gave her a small smile and nodded. "Yeah, I wasn't sure whether I could or not. Dad's doing okay considering."
Tara nodded as she took a step closer. "I heard that he didn't have long. I'm sorry, Cori."
"Thank you."
Tara crossed her arms over her chest. "Still, you'll probably be glad to get back home. Michigan, isn't it?" When Cori nodded, she continued. "Yeah, I'm sure you're missing your life there."
Cori shrugged as she stood up. "I don't know. I might stick around for a while. Like Donna says, I can write anywhere."
Tara shook her head. "He's mine, Cori. He may be spending time with you now, but that's just because he feels sorry for you, maybe feels some kind of responsibility to take care of his best friend, but that's all you are to him, Coraline. You and I both know that what Jax and I have between us... it's always been special. How many more years do you want to waste, waiting around for him to choose you over me? You know it's never going to happen."
Cori blinked the tears back that were trying to fall as she nodded. "You're right, Tara. After seeing the two of you together earlier... I'm just gonna go. I should have known better than to come in the first place."
She turned and walked down the steps to the backyard, making a quick trip around the house to her car. She didn't see the smile on Tara's face when she walked back inside or the light from a lighter as it lit a cigarette in the dark.
